Symbolism+in+The+Giver

=//Symbolism - (taken from Sparknotes.com)//=

The Newchild Gabriel
===For Jonas, the newchild Gabriel is a symbol of hope and of starting over. Babies frequently figure as symbols of hope and regeneration in literature, and in The Giver this makes perfect sense: Gabriel is too young to have absorbed the customs and rules of the community, so he is still receptive to the powerful memories that Jonas transmits to him. Jonas takes Gabriel with him to save Gabriel’s life, but his gesture is also symbolic of his resolve to change things, to start a new life Elsewhere. His struggles to keep Gabriel alive reflect his struggles to maintain his ideals in the face of difficulty.===

Names:
===Jonas is the Latin form of Jonah, from the Hebrew meaning "dove." The Old testament tells the story of Jonah, to whom God give the task of telling the people of Nineveh that because of their greed and selfishness, their city will be destroyed in forty days. Through a series of events, Jonah is swallowed by a whale, rescued, and goes on to deliver his message. The people ask for forgiveness and are saved from destruction. In The Giver, Jonas is charged with the task of bringing important news and perhaps "rescuing" his people.===

Rosemary - the name of a fragrant herb, has been long associated with love, memory, fidelity, and death. Rosemary in The Giver symbolizes remembrance but also goes "mad" and asks to be released.
===Gabriel - from Hebrew, is one of the two archangels identified in the Old Testament of the bible. he is considered a prophetic messenger who told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. In The Giver, the newchild Gabriel could be considered a prophet or angel like person who is sent to the people of "Elsewhere" to deliver a message.===

The Sled
===The sled, the first memory Jonas receives from the Giver, symbolizes the journey Jonas takes during his training and the discoveries he makes. It is red, a color that symbolizes the new, vital world of feelings and ideas that Jonas discovers. Before he transmits the memory, the Giver compares the difficulty he has in carrying the memories to the way a sled slows down as snow accumulates on its runners. The novelty and delight of the downhill ride are exhilarating, and Jonas enjoys the ride in the same way that he enjoys accumulating new memories. But the sled can be treacherous, too: the first memory of extreme pain that he experiences involves the sled. Pleasure and pain are inevitably related on the sled, just as they are in the memories. When, at the end of the novel, Jonas finds a real sled, it symbolizes his entry into a world where color, sensation, and emotion exist in reality, not just in memory.===

The River
===The river, which runs into the community and out of it to Elsewhere, symbolizes escape from the confines of the community. When little Caleb drowns in the river, it is one of the few events that the community cannot predict or control, and Jonas and the Giver are inspired to try to change the community by the idea of the river’s unpredictable behavior.=== =//Symbolism - (taken from Sparknotes.com)//=

The Newchild Gabriel
===For Jonas, the newchild Gabriel is a symbol of hope and of starting over. Babies frequently figure as symbols of hope and regeneration in literature, and in The Giver this makes perfect sense: Gabriel is too young to have absorbed the customs and rules of the community, so he is still receptive to the powerful memories that Jonas transmits to him. Jonas takes Gabriel with him to save Gabriel’s life, but his gesture is also symbolic of his resolve to change things, to start a new life Elsewhere. His struggles to keep Gabriel alive reflect his struggles to maintain his ideals in the face of difficulty.===

Names:
===Jonas is the Latin form of Jonah, from the Hebrew meanig "dove." The Old testament tells the story of Jonah, to whom God give the task of telling the people of Nineveh that because of their gredd and selfishness, their city will be destroyed in forty days. Through a series of events, Jonah is swallowed by a whale, rescied, and goes on to deliver his message. The people ask for forgiveness and are saved from destruction. In The Giver, Jonas is charged with the task of bringing important news and perhaps "rescuing" his people.===

Rosemary - the nae of a fragrant herb, has been long associated with love, memory, fidelity, and death. Rosemary in The Giver symbolizes remembrance but also goes "mad" and asks to be released.
===Gabriel - from Hebrew, is one of the two archangels identified in the Old Testament of the bible. he is considered a prophetic messenger who told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. In The Giver, the newchild Gabriel could be considered a prophet or angel like person who is sent to the people of "Elsewhere" to deliver a message.===

The Sled
===The sled, the first memory Jonas receives from the Giver, symbolizes the journey Jonas takes during his training and the discoveries he makes. It is red, a color that symbolizes the new, vital world of feelings and ideas that Jonas discovers. Before he transmits the memory, the Giver compares the difficulty he has in carrying the memories to the way a sled slows down as snow accumulates on its runners. The novelty and delight of the downhill ride are exhilarating, and Jonas enjoys the ride in the same way that he enjoys accumulating new memories. But the sled can be treacherous, too: the first memory of extreme pain that he experiences involves the sled. Pleasure and pain are inevitably related on the sled, just as they are in the memories. When, at the end of the novel, Jonas finds a real sled, it symbolizes his entry into a world where color, sensation, and emotion exist in reality, not just in memory.===

The River
===The river, which runs into the community and out of it to Elsewhere, symbolizes escape from the confines of the community. When little Caleb drowns in the river, it is one of the few events that the community cannot predict or control, and Jonas and the Giver are inspired to try to change the community by the idea of the river’s unpredictable behavior.===